After a busy start to life at Ibrox, Glasgow Rangers head coach Danny Rolle is currently enjoying his first international break since taking charge of the club.
The Light Blues manager was thrown into the bottom half of the table in the Europa League game against Blanc just days after his arrival, and has already played six competitive games in the dugout in all competitions.
Rolle joined after the Gers under Stevie Smith and Russell Martin won only one of their first eight games in the Scottish Premiership, winning three of three in the division.
The Scottish Giants defeated Dundee 3-0 away in their last game before the international break, their second away win and consecutive clean sheets.
As shown in the highlights above, Jaydee Gassama scored Gers’ third goal of the game with a great finish from the edge of the box into the far corner.
It was his first Premiership goal for Rangers, despite plenty of promising signs in his first few months at the club after joining from Sheffield Wednesday in the summer.
Why the Rangers need more from Jaydee Gassama
The Light Blues signed the French forward from the Owls for £2.2m and he made a lightning start to his time at Ibrox, scoring four goals in six games in the club’s Champions League qualification campaign.
After that explosive goal in Europe, you couldn’t blame the supporters for getting excited about what the winger could produce on a week-to-week basis in the Premiership under then manager Martin.
Unfortunately, the former Paris Saint-Germain youngster has not been able to translate his European form into domestic performances, as his goal against Kilmarnock was his first in the league this season.
The 22-year-old winger worked alongside Rolle at Sheffield Wednesday in 2024/25, scoring one goal and providing one assist in 11 Premiership appearances.
25/26 Premiership | Jaydee Gassama (around 90) | Percentile Rank vs. Winger |
|---|---|---|
xG | 0.16 | bottom 32% |
the goal | 0.10 | Bottom 44% |
Shah | 0.13 | Top 45% |
assist | 0.10 | Top 45% |
An opportunity has arisen | 1.02 | bottom 32% |
successful cross | 0.23 | bottom 23% |
dribbling success | 2.04 | Top 26% |
Touch inside the opponent’s box | 6.12 | Top 14% |
Statistics by FotMob | ||
As you can see from the table above, Gassama ranks worse among Premiership wingers when it comes to scoring goals, creating chances and completing crosses, while he ranks only slightly above average when it comes to assisting goals.
However, the Frenchman ranks very highly in terms of dribbling and touch inside the opposition box. This shows he can beat defenders with the ball and get into good positions, but he needs to improve on his end product.
This is why Rolle needs to get more out of the Rangers winger. That’s because his return of goals and assists doesn’t support his good build-up play on the side.
Gassama, 22, clearly has the potential and could develop into a top player for Rangers, but there is another summer signing who could be unearthed as an even bigger talent despite being labeled a failure so far.
Earlier this month, Heart & Hand podcast creator David Edgar claimed that Cerro Asgard have been “rotten” since joining from Luton Town in the summer, but the central midfielder could become a bigger star than Gassama.
Why Cerro Asgaard could be a better talent for the Rangers than Jady Gassama
The French winger is a promising prospect with the potential to rack up even more goals and assists, while the £3.5m Norway international has the potential to be an excellent two-way player in midfield.
According to FotMob, Gassama works hard defensively as a winger, ranking in the top 28% of wingers for tackles (10) in the Premiership, but his impact has primarily come from the attacking side.
However, Asgord is an interesting player profile, as he has obvious technical qualities and good physical attributes, allowing him to influence the game both on and off the ball.
Unfortunately, the former Luton and Wigan star has had a difficult start to life at Ibrox and is yet to reach his full potential, as evidenced by his recent red card against Celtic.
Edgar feels he is “rotten” and the post, which has received more than 2,000 likes, suggests others agree, but there were some encouraging signs from his domestic performance with Gers.
25/26 Premiership | Jade Gassama | Cero Asgard |
|---|---|---|
Appearance | 11 | 9 |
the goal | 1 | 1 |
assist | 1 | 1 |
Number of successful dribbles per game | 1.8 | 1.8 |
dribbling success rate | 47% | 67% |
Ground duel success rate | 57% | 59% |
Aerial duel success rate | 36% | 42% |
Statistics by Sofascore | ||
As can be seen from the table above, Asgoth contributed goals in as many matches as Gassama, and was more efficient at dribbling, dueling on the ground, and dueling in the air.
Of course, his goal was also a brilliant individual goal against Dundee United under Stevie Smith, who won him the Rangers Journal’s Goal of the Month award.
If Rohr, like Gassama, can help bring more consistency to his final results in the final third, the Norwegian midfielder could be an exciting talent for Gers supporters to look forward to, especially considering he scored four goals in one game for his country against Moldova in September.
In addition to his offensive potential, Asgort ranks within the top 5% of his position in the Premiership for duel success rate (55%), top 21% for aerial duels won (8) and top 17% for duels won (47), according to FotMob, which shows the value he can provide outside of possession.
If all goes well, he has the potential to become a dominant star in Scottish football, both physically and technically, so it’s up to the manager and Asgord to work with him on the training pitch to maximize his potential.
That is why Rohr is able to use the Norwegian international to find a better talent than Gassama. This is because Roll can exert overwhelming power not only when he has the ball, but also when he is in possession of the ball.
